Nagini
by Anda Faith
Summary: “Til death do we part?” “Never. I said you would be mine. Eternally.”How did Nagini come to be? Thank you to my beta Steph!


**_Author's Note_**: Hey, this is just a plot bunny that came into my head just a little bit ago and I really hope you like it! Please review!

**_Disclaimer: _**Don't own anyone - really, I don't. I just like to use them! No need to sue... I would never misuse them!

_**Nagini**_

By: Anda Faith

_Snap!_

"Oh, blast!" Nagini sighed in frustration and bit her lip, looking around Dumbledore's classroom at her peers. Her eyes landed on the current Head Boy.

"Hey…" she whispered, throwing a piece of paper at the back of his head. He turned around, giving her a very annoyed look.

Her eyes widened a bit, feigning innocence, despite the fact that she was the one who threw the bit of parchment. "Could I bum a quill?"

Tom Riddle reached his hand in his bag and threw her a black #2 quill. She grinned in response and went back to her note taking. She was always a studious girl, keeping up with notes, spending hours in the library and practicing in empty classrooms. It was something to do… she wasn't very social. Not many of the girls considered her to be 'one of the girls'; she was more the hermit bookworm, but she only read what she really needed to. She didn't rely on books for happiness like some bookworms such as Tom Riddle did.

He spent more time in the library than she did and yet he still had friends. Nagini didn't think she had a problem. Maybe she was a bit anti-social, but if someone were to speak to her, she could talk. She did have a mouth and a brain to do so.

"So did you hear about Silias Avery?"

"What – he didn't?"

"He did! He asked out Bulstrode! It was hilarious, I thought she was going to beat him to pieces or her brother… but she said yes! I would hate to see their children…"

Nagini rolled her eyes as she walked past the gossiping girls and headed to the library to study for the NEWT's exams. They had five months but the NEWT's decided on your future, and the better the NEWT's, the better the future. Hopefully.

Entering the library, Nagini's eyes scanned the room for an empty table, but every table was occupied by at least one person. She strode over to her usual table, which was normally empty. However, now it was being used by the Head Boy. She was going to tell him to go find a different table, but since he had given her a quill in class, she let him sit. Also, if she did tell off the Head Boy for sitting at her table (which he should have known it was her table because he spent just as much time in the library as she did!), she would most likely have a nice night polishing trophies in her future.

She plopped her books down on the table, making a loud slapping noise against the wood that echoed around the walls. Wincing a bit, Nagini sat across from Tom. "Thank you for the quill," she said, shoving it toward him. She had '_Accioed'_ one after class so she didn't need his anymore.

Blue eyes peered at her from over a Dark Arts book. "Your name is Nagini, am I correct?" he asked in a very odd tone.

Nagini swallowed nervously. That was actually the most that he had ever said to her in seven years. "How did you know?" she asked curiously. Maybe it was the Head Boys job to know?

"It's an interesting name. I'm L- Tom Riddle," he said with a nod.

"I _know_ who you are," she replied, "I'm not stupid – I may be a little reclusive, but I don't have my head in a hole…"

The raven haired boy gave a low chuckle. "Your head looks to be well above ground," he acknowledged wittily. "You're not like the other girls, are you?"

Nagini wondered if that was a rhetorical question, but she answered anyway. "I'm not much of a gossip – but I'm not a book snogger if that's what you think."

"I didn't say that," Tom said, closing his book and setting it on the table with the cover facing downwards. Maybe he didn't want her to see what he was reading. Was he hiding something?

"What did you mean by it then?" Nagini asked curiously. Maybe she _had_ found _someone_ who didn't think she was a closet romantic… She almost laughed at the thought. Reading was purely academic.

Tom swept his hair to the side and shrugged. "You have a brain, and you haven't asked me one thing about Avery and Bulstrode."

Of course – the latest gossip. Tom was Silias' friend so he would know - however uninteresting that was, at least to her. Nagini shrugged. "Do you think I would stoop as low as to ask you about your friend's soon to be botched romance?" she asked with a smirk.

Tom's eyes seemed to house an emotion of amusement. As he went to push back a tendril of his hair that fell into his face, Nagini noticed that he wore a ring. She quirked an eyebrow at him, still smirking. "I didn't know you wore jewelry…" she mused.

A rather evil grin spread across his face but then again, that was very normal for him. He twisted the ring around his finger and shrugged. "It's a family heirloom."

"Oh," Nagini said with a nod, her smirk faltering. "So no girlfriends then?" she asked sarcastically.

He seemed to be amused at this question but shook his head. "I'm not the dating type – too clingy - and I'm not much of the _loving_ type…" Tom spat the word 'love' as if it was the most disgusting thing on the planet.

"I don't blame you – love _is_ a four letter word," she said as a matter-of-factly, with a little humor behind it.

Tom's eyebrow arched slightly and he seemed to be pondering the statement. The corners of his lips started to curl gently. "I take it you're not involved then?" he seemed fairly amused.

Nagini shook her head. "No ball and chain for me – there are more important things."

"Exactly," Tom agreed.

"Like the NEWT's."

"And reading."

"And learning."

"And power…"

Nagini shrugged. "Sure, a little power never hurt anyone, right? Definitely more important than the romantic lives of fellow peers and the next snog in a broom cupboard…"

"You should really try catching them at it," Tom said with disgust etched across his guise.

With a laugh, Nagini rolled her eyes. "That's rather unappealing, I wager. I sympathize."

"I guess it's just a part of being Head Boy," he responded, fiddling with the hem of his sleeve. "Would you like to accompany me tonight?"

"To a broom cupboard?" Nagini joked amusedly, even though she knew it wasn't his insinuation. "I thought there were more important things, Tom."

"There are, Nagini, but I was actually thinking that maybe you would like to keep me company on my lonely Head Boy duties; of course, one needs intelligent conversation once and a while," he explained, looking at her pointedly.

"Right – I guess it's not a mystery that I'm the silent wonder of Slytherin?" Nagini asked rhetorically.

He ignored her tone and answered anyway. "I've just noticed you're not much of a talker, Nagini. With such a brain like yours, it should hardly be wasted on lost thoughts in the mind," Tom replied wisely. He sounded like a sphinx – much brighter than most boys his age, anyway.

Nagini grinned to herself. "Sure, I'll keep you company then. Will you hold my hair back as I gracefully vomit when we catch snoggers?" she asked cheekily.

He sniggered in response. "I'll make sure to conjure a bucket."

Nagini's heart fluttered a bit when she noticed his smile that was directed at _her_. It was almost unnatural; she was used to being looked at with narrowed eyes and pursed lips. _What is she doing here?_ was usually what she thought that people were thinking about her every time she entered a room, but Tom was most definitely a different breed of human—like he could unlock anyone's mystery.

Smiling back, Nagini nodded and pulled out her book. "Well, I guess I should get to studying."

He got up and shoved the black bound tome into his bag. "I'll see you in the common room after dinner then, Nagini."

"G'bye, Tom," she replied, and watched his retreating form grow smaller as he exited and walked further down the hall.

The common room was quiet and the fire burned low. Most of the students were in the Great Hall as supper was being served. Nagini lounged on one of the rigid leather sofas, staring vacantly at the embers. She wondered if house elf would appear and start throwing kindling on it restart it...

She felt a hot breath near her ear and smirked. "What's your ultimate goal in life?" she heard a familiar voice ask.

Tom Riddle.

Blinking once, Nagini bit her bottom lip. "To be honest, my ultimate life goal is to die," she mused. She had known that since she was young. Accomplish as much as possible in life and in the end: die. "Death is inevitable."

"Right, but in contrast – my ultimate goal is immortality." Tom circled the sofa and offered her his hand. Nagini took it, feeling small tingles prick her skin where he touched as he pulled her up.

"Death is even inevitable for those who have had their hand at attempting immortality, you know," Nagini said with a shrug. She had read about the Philosopher's Stone and other ways of immortality through Alchemy. It was interesting, but life ended sooner or later. Ultimately, everything dies.

"I'll live."

It was a statement that he seemed set on, so Nagini didn't argue. She suspected that he would probably become an Alchemist – he was smart enough for it. She pictured it as well; Tom Riddle, the Alchemist. She mused on the thought for a couple of minutes.

They walked in silence out the entrance to the Slytherin common room and padded quietly down a few corridors. "What are you going to be when you 'grow up', Tom?" Nagini asked, breaking the rather uneasy silence.

He winced. "You can call me by my alias – I prefer it."

Nagini mouth went into an 'o' shape and her eyebrows knitted low on her forehead. She didn't know that Tom had a nickname. "Er – I really don't know your alias, I'm not _that_ informed…" She gave a small nervous laugh.

"It's Voldemort; call me Voldemort, all my _friends_ do," he emphasized the word friends and drew it out which made her smile.

"Am I _friend_ then?"

Tom nodded. "I think I can use another."

"And you want me to call you 'flight of death'?" Nagini asked with a bit of a chuckle. She wondered why Tom Riddle – Mr. Prefect Head Boy—would want to be called _that_.

Raising his eyebrow quizzically, Tom smirked. "I see you know a bit of French then…" he ruminated, considering it thoroughly.

Nigini nodded and rolled her eyes. "My aunt is French – an old pureblood line. I almost got sent to _Beauxbatons_." She grimaced, which made Tom laugh. "I like the name though – it sounds good, even though its meaning's a little morbid. Is there any special reason for 'Voldemort'?" she asked curiously.

"No – kind of an inside thing. It's complicated," Tom said with a nod, ending the subject that wasn't to be discussed any further. He seemed very protective of his secrets, which seemed very plausible.

A small creaking noise had come from the inside of an abandoned classroom and Tom pulled out his wand quietly, padding over to the room. He looked at Nagini and put a finger to his lips before flinging open the door to reveal two Ravenclaws in the midst of a heavy snogging session.

"Oh, bloody hell-"

"Miss Fawcett, how many times have I warned you?" Tom asked in a dangerously low tone, fingering his light blond coloured wand. "I'm going to have to report you and give you detention as this is your third warning."

The two Ravenclaws scampered off down the corridor without a word, very embarrassed and red faced. Nagini smiled. "Do they always act that way?" she asked, holding back laughter – the look on their faces was priceless.

"Most of them," Tom drawled. "The Slytherins hex first, hence the wand precaution." He tapped her on the head with the tip of his wand and she smiled.

"Well, we aren't stupid…" Nagini said amusedly. "So, _Voldemort_, where to next?" Using the nickname was foreign to her, but it wasn't completely weird. At least it was easy to remember and rolled off her tongue nicely.

Another evil smile appeared on his face. "Well, actually that pretty much covers the area I was assigned to. I made sure to choose the corridors with the least amount of designated snogging areas tonight. Then again, talking to you passes time quickly," he said, leaning against the wall and tucking his wand away.

Nagini's eyebrow arched high on her forehead. "What are you _insinuating_?"

"An empty broom cupboard and a pretty girl, my dear Nagini…" His tone was sly and his eyes glanced at her in a very seductive way.

She giggled lightly, and regretted it the instant it came out of her mouth. A giggle? How childish? But she hadn't had that much experience with boys. Nerves invaded her senses and the spontaneity of it all was just exciting. It made her stomach jump to her throat, the fact that _Tom_ _Riddle_ had invited her into a boom cupboard. While she wasn't a common snog goblin, she didn't think that she should pass up the opportunity.

Mustering up the courage, Nagini stepped forward and laid a hand on Tom's arm. "Do you really think I'm pretty?" she asked innocently.

Tom reached up to cup her face, brushing a thumb over her cheek, which sent the most delectable shivers through her core. "I've been attracted to you for quite some time, Nagini – you exude beauty, like your name…"

Carefully, he pulled her into the dark cupboard and shut the door.

Nagini felt around and found his shoulder, she slid her hand up to his neck. "A name is important to you, isn't it, _Voldemort_?" she asked, taking a tendril of his silky hair between her thumb and forefinger.

She felt his hand on her waist and she was gently backed into a wall. "Everything is in a name, Nagini," he whispered, pulling her into a gentle kiss.

Nagini kissed back with fervor, running her hands through his hair. It was always side swept and perfect – she felt that it needed to be tangled like his personality. And complicated, like his kiss... She felt herself trembling beneath his touch. Every move that he made was powerful and so sinful. His kiss was growing more passionate and rough by the second.

Tom's cinnamon taste intoxicated her, only intensifying when his tongue darted into her mouth without permission. She was a little lost – she had never kissed a boy using her tongue; it was a completely different experience. Oh, was it amazing! It left her weak at the knees but he held her upright as she started to fall and broke away.

"Wow," she breathed softly, her lungs flooding with much needed air. She couldn't believe that she had just met this boy and now she was snogging him in a cupboard like a scarlet woman. But when he kissed her, it was so right. It was as if he needed her very soul. He breathed life into her…

He pulled her into another kiss, more rugged and almost violent. His kiss told her who was the one with the power. Nagini moaned quietly when he bit her bottom lip. She bit back and he slipped his tongue in to duel with hers. She could barely mirror his actions. One of his hands was massaging her head. His long fingers worked wonders. His other hand caressed the curve of her neck as he pulled away again.

Nagini felt him lean down and place a kiss on the nape of her neck. She threw her head back—she wanted to say something, but found herself incoherent. He bit hard, causing her to whimper. Gently caressing the wound with his tongue, she felt him smirk before breaking away from her neck.

His mouth was near her ear; she could feel his raged breath as he held onto her. "I think I may have blemished your skin a touch."

Letting out a small throaty laugh, Nagini grinned. "It was well worth it…"

"We should probably get back to the common room," Tom said, not moving an inch, his hand within her long red tresses and other hand resting gently on her hip.

"I agree," Nagini responded but didn't move either.

Tom pulled his hand out of her hair and moved it to rest on her waist. "I should be reading."

"I should be studying."

They both smirked at each other in the dark, and Nagini slyly pulled down his head to capture his lips in another searing kiss that ended as quickly as it begun. "You kiss so powerfully…" she commented.

"Your lips are entrancing – how come I didn't think of this sooner?" he mused. Nagini could almost picture his evil smile in her mind.

Tom pulled his hand off her waist and opened the door, leading her back to the common room. All the while he never let go of her hand. She felt a familiar tingling sensation course up her arm.

Slowly, he pulled the lithe hand up to his lips, leaving a kiss, causing her whole arm to prickle and making shivers pass through her being. How could she be having feelings like this for him already? Before today, she had never spoken more than ten words to him.

When he left her for his dormitory, she stared after him, her heart light and fluttery, but somehow she knew she didn't love him. At least, not yet anyway.

Harry Potter prodded the silvery basin in front of him, sorting through Dumbledore's various memories. He wanted to see his enemy, but most of the time Dumbledore had seen Tom Riddle studying while he was at school. He did keep a close eye on him, but his eye never seemed to catch anything useful.

_Harry sighed as he was sucked into another one of Dumbledore's memories. The younger version was looking at books on a bookshelf in front of him when a familiar voice was heard…_

"_Your name is Nagini, am I correct?" _

_It was Tom, Harry peered around the bookshelf and noticed that he was sitting at a table with some girl with red hair and a long pointed face. He had said her name was Nagini, but that was his snake's name… _

_The girl looked a bit nervous. "How did you know?" she asked in a curious tone. _

"_It's an interesting name. I'm L– Tom Riddle," he said with a nod._

"_I know who you are," the girl (Nagini?) replied. "I'm not stupid – I may be a little reclusive, but I don't have my head in a hole…"_

_It was one of the first times that he had heard Tom Riddle chuckle. "Your head looks to be well above ground," he replied. "You're not like the other girls, are you?"_

_The girl's face was unreadable. "I'm not much of a gossip – but I'm not a book snogger if that's what you think?"_

"_I didn't say that," Tom said, closing his book and setting it on the table. _

"_What did you mean by it then?" Nagini asked._

_Tom shrugged. "You have a brain, and you haven't asked me one thing about Avery and Bulstrode."_

_Harry's eyebrows furrowed slightly. He didn't know that there had been a Bulstrode at Hogwarts during the time of Tom Riddle._

"_Do you think I would stoop as low as to ask you about your friends' soon to be botched romance?" she asked with a smirk. She sounded like a Slytherin. Harry looked at the crest on her robes, which told him that his suspicious were correct. "I didn't know you wore jewelry…" Nagini's tone seemed a bit like she was pondering that fact. _

_Harry suddenly noticed the ring on Riddle's hand and realized that he had already killed his father. Now he at least had an idea of the time period. Harry also noticed that an evil grin had spread across Riddle's face. _

_He twisted the ring around his finger and shrugged. "It's a family heirloom."_

"_Oh," Nagini said with a nod, her smirk faltering. "So no girlfriends then?" she asked sarcastically._

_Harry snorted. Who would want to date the future Dark Lord Voldemort? The thought was simply ridiculous. _

_However, Riddle seemed amused. "I'm not the dating type – too clingy - and I'm not the **loving** type…" Tom spat the word 'love' as if it was the most disgusting thing on the planet. Harry smirked. Of course, Tom Riddle would lack **love**._

"_I don't blame you – love is a four letter word…" she said with a little humor._

_Harry realized that he was counting the letters in the word, when Tom spoke again. "I take it you're not involved then…" he seemed very amused by this. _

_Nagini shook her head. "No ball and chain for me – there are more important things."_

_Now she sounded like a mix of Hermione and Malfoy: arrogant, rich, and yet still a bit of a caring bookworm… it was a very strange combination._

"_Exactly," Tom agreed._

"_Like the NEWT's."_

"_And reading."_

"_And learning."_

"_And power…" _

_The redhead shrugged. "Sure, a little power never hurt anyone, right?_

'_That's what you think,' Harry mused_

"_Definitely more important than the romantic lives of fellow peers and the next snog in a broom cupboard…" she continued._

"_You should really try catching them at it," Tom said with a disgusted look._

_Laughing, Nagini rolled her eyes. "That's rather unappealing, I wager – I sympathize."_

"_I guess it's just a part of being Head Boy," he responded, fiddling with the hem of his sleeve. "Would you like to accompany me tonight?"_

_Harry's eyebrows suddenly knitted low on his head. Maybe Tom Riddle had named his snake after this girl._

"_To a broom cupboard?" Nagini joked amusedly. "I thought there were more important things, Tom?"_

_Harry rolled his eyes._

"_There are, Nagini, but I was actually thinking that maybe you would like to keep me company on my lonely Head Boy duties… of course, one needs intelligent conversation once and a while," he explained, looking at her pointedly. _

"_Right – I guess it's not a mystery that I'm the silent wonder of Slytherin?"_

"_I've just noticed you're not much of a talker, Nagini, with such a brain like yours, it should hardly be wasted on lost thoughts in the mind," Tom replied wisely. _

_Harry's brows rose high on his head. Maybe Riddle had an ulterior motive to speaking to her._

_Nagini grinned. "Sure, I'll keep you company then –will you hold my hair back as I gracefully vomit when we catch snoggers?" she asked cheekily. _

_He sniggered in response. "I'll make sure to conjure a bucket…"_

_Harry gave a short laugh. **Very charming…** he thought sarcastically. _

_Nagini nodded and pulled out her book. "Well, I guess I should get to studying."_

_He got up and shoved the book into his bag. "I'll see you in the common room after dinner then, Nagini."_

"_G'bye, Tom," she replied and watched his retreating form. Harry felt himself being pulled back into the Headmasters office._

"Harry?" It was Hermione. Harry turned his head to look at her.

"I didn't know you where here. Ron turned in already, but – er - I think I might have found something." he said, thinking. "Could you look up a girl in Tom Riddle's year named Nagini? I didn't get her last name, but she was a Slytherin."

Hermione's mouth opened and she pondered his question. "Isn't Nagini Voldemort's snake?"

"Yes, but in this memory, there was a girl that he talked to named Nagini. She seemed to be the first person he said more than three words to in Dumbledore's memories. He was bit of a bookworm, it seems," Harry said amusedly, giving Hermione a pointed look. "I was thinking maybe she was _important_ – especially if he named his snake after her. I'm going to be looking for the _both_ of them, see if Dumbledore has a few more of Tom Riddle's school memories in here." Harry prodded the pensieve.

"Alright," Hermione said with a sigh, "I'll see what I can dig up then on a girl named Nagini. Strange name though…"

"You should talk," Harry teased.

Hermione laughed and exited the room for the school archives behind the door to the right of the desk. Harry prodded the silvery thread and was sucked into another memory.

_Harry was in front of a classroom. He noticed that Tom Riddle was seated right next to that girl named Nagini in the back row. His eyes narrowed and he walked towards them. Dumbledore continued his speech on what was included in the Transfiguration NEWT's. The teakettle he was holding, squawked… _

_Nagini was taking notes, and Tom was whispering into her ear. Harry couldn't hear what he was saying though. The red head grinned and she passed him one of her quills. Tom smirked in response. _

"_-and that would be the incantation," Dumbledore sounded. _

_Tom Riddle, for once, didn't seem to be paying much attention to the Professor as he used to in class (Harry had noticed he was very studious from other memories.) He then realized that Riddle's right hand was underneath the desk and he was **pretending** to take notes with his left hand. His right hand was interlocked with Nagini's under the desktop. Harry's eyes narrowed at the two Slytherins and the bell rung, signifying that class had ended._

_They were the last ones out of the room. Harry peered out the ajar classroom door, seeing that they were still together. Nagini said something that he couldn't hear and Tom brought their clasped hands to his lips with a smirk. Harry's eyebrows furrowed. **So Tom Riddle did have a girlfriend…**_

Harry felt himself being pulled back into the Headmaster's office to see that Hermione was sitting behind what was now Professor McGonagall's desk with a large book open in front of her.

"I think Nagini was Voldemort's girlfriend," Harry said in amusement.

Hermione stared at him. "That's just horrid! How could anyone like him?"

"Well, he was very charming, and a good actor if he really needed to manipulate someone," Harry explained with a sigh. "Did you find anything?"

Nodding, Hermione flipped back to a couple of marked pages. "Nagini Lestrange was her name; she also had a couple of distant relatives named Rebastian and Rudolphus. That's probably why Voldemort likes Bellatrix so much. She had really good marks and her NEWT's were exceptional but I…" she trailed off and pulled a newspaper out from beneath the heavy tome. "The reason this was so easy to find was because Dumbledore had marked the page. Er - she went missing and they found her body in Albania..."

Harry's eyebrows furrowed and he nodded. "Voldemort must have killed her – I wouldn't put it past him. I'm going to go through another memory before I turn in, though, see if I can't dig up anything else," Harry said with a yawn. Going through memories was tiring, but he really wanted to solve this.

_Harry realized he was at the Hogs Head but there was no Dumbledore to be found. His eyes landed on the man behind the counter and Harry's eyebrows rose. So Dumbledore kept an eye on dark wizards through his brother's convenient placement at the Hogs Head? That made sense._

"_It that you?"_

_Harry turned around, and then heard a familiar voice. "Yes, Avery," Tom Riddle said coldly, "of course it's me." _

_Tom looked different; his eyes were red and narrowed, but he still had his normal nose and his hair. A snake was gently coiled around his neck and gazing hungrily at the bloke named Avery seated across from him. _

"_New pet?" Avery asked, taking a drink from his tankard. "I always knew you'd get a snake sooner or later."_

"_Her name's Nagini," Tom said in a disgustingly sweet tone, caressing the snakes chin gently. "She's very important, Avery."_

"_Still obsessed about her?" Avery asked. "Why didn't you just propose? You were always looking for a-" _

"_Don't ask silly questions, you imbecile, I got rid of everything that needed ridding of – I need to think of the future," Voldemort interrupted and the snake hissed at Avery._

"_I thought you were planning an heir. Why the sudden change of mind?"_

"_I no longer am in need of an heir, Avery – I've discovered a secret." Tom caressed the snakes chin again with a smirk. "Isn't that right, Nagini?"_

"_You always said that Nagini was special. I heard she was murdered in Albania. My condolences, M'Lord," Avery replied with a nod. _

_Riddle's face was unreadable. "Nagini had her uses…" The snake coiled down his arm. "Such a beautiful creature – a beautiful name for the beautiful soul."_

Harry felt himself being sucked from the memory and his eyes widened when he realized that Nagini the snake was Nagini the girl!

Riddle had killed Nagini and made a Horcrux.

"Hermione," Harry breathed, "Nagini is _definitely_ a Horcrux – it's definitely confirmed now – I think he killed Nagini to make Nagini one…" He went over the memory with her.

"So," Hermione started slowly, "he was planning on making an heir with Nagini? But instead, he made a Horcrux by killing her, figuring that she would prove more useful in giving him immortality? That's totally barbaric, especially if he loved her…"

"Voldemort doesn't love, Hermione," Harry said tersely.

Hermione shrugged. "_Tom_ _Riddle_ might have – I don't know if they're the same person, like Jekyll and Hyde maybe?"

"You read too much. I don't think even _Tom_ could love anyone." Harry paused, remembering the first time Dumbledore met Tom Riddle. "He was and _is_ nasty person. He did seem fond of her, but he got rid of_ everything that needed ridding of_. She was one thing that needed to be ridded of!"

"So maybe he loved her and he couldn't move on without killing her!" Hermione concluded.

Harry, however, was still skeptical about that idea.

"Why did you bring me here?" Nagini asked curiously, looking around the clearing of a vast forest. "Is this were you've been doing all that research? This place must be ancient…"

Tom took her hand in his. "It is. I've been looking for a familiar, quite honestly. I just wanted to show her to you." He started hissing softly. Nagini smiled; he had the most sensuous sounding voice when he spoke Parseltongue. So silky. The voice wrapped around her, warming her to the touch.

A small snake slithered up to her foot and she peered down at it. Gently, she reached down and picked it up. "This is your familiar?" Nagini asked. "You have good taste – she's very lovely."

The snake coiled around her hand and hissed at her. "She says that you're beautiful as well, and she would be proud to bear your name," Tom told her in a low voice.

"You're going to name her after me?" Nagini asked, her eyes wide. "Wow – I'm honored…"

She moved toward him and placed a hand on his cheek, which glowed in the pale moonlight. He bent down to kiss her softly as she felt the snake uncurl and move toward her master. Tom pulled away and grinned at her. "I think Nagini's jealous…"

"The snake Nagini – I'm not." Nagini leaned up to kiss him again, deepening the kiss, loving the feeling of his touch. His power to control her was overwhelming and she loved every minute of it. His every touch was laced with it.

"I love you," she whispered, holding him close.

She could almost picture him smirking. "I know you do."

"And I know you don't," Nagini replied. "I can live with that – just as long as you keep me around forever."

His expression was unreadable. "In a way," he said dangerously, and she felt a sudden jolt of fear in the pit of her stomach. A feeling that something bad was going to happen. "What was your life's ultimate goal again, Nagini?"

"To die," she said breathily, swallowing a nervous lump that had settled in her throat.

"Do you remember mine?"

Nagini nodded. "You want eternal life."

Peering up at him, she noticed that he was grinning. "You're very important to that eternal life," he said softly, "my love."

Her mouth opened in surprise. Her heart felt like it would burst. He had called her his 'love'. Nagini felt as if she was going to cry from sheer happiness. "Am I?" she asked.

Tom's eyes searched hers. "You'll always be mine."

She smiled, but then noticed that he pulled out his wand. "What, no proposal?" she asked sarcastically, a bit uneasy within cursing distance of his wand.

"Why propose? You said that death was inevitable – why should I marry someone if she's just going to die?" he asked cruelly, sending a shiver of fright through her. Nagini's eyes widened slightly. "Do you fear death?"

"No, I accept death," she replied, licking her lips. He was staring at her with a look of hunger in his eyes. His features were malicious.

"Ironic, isn't it?" he asked, his lips upturning in a coy smile. "You wish to die and I wish to live forever. We couldn't be more different."

"Doesn't make me love you any less," she said, her heart weakening. He was her first love, and she wanted him to be her last. He had said it himself – she was his. Forever, she would be his. "Til death do we part?" she asked with a grin, looking at his wand again.

His smile faltered. "Never. I said you would be mine. Eternally."

"Does that mean that you love me?" Nagini asked quietly, her eyes boring into his. She let him peer deep into her soul. Her eyes were the windows that allowed him to see her very core. She smiled. "Do you love me?" she asked again, more urgent, raising a hand to touch him. He snatched the delicate wrist with his strong grip before she could reach him.

"Lord Voldemort doesn't love anyone," he growled deeply and let go of her limb. She backed up a step, wincing as her heart tore a bit, but she remained strong.

"I just wanted to hear you say it, but I guess you can't admit that you love someone you're about to kill?" Nagini asked in a morbid tone, staring at his wand, then back up into his deep blue orbs.

She smelled death in the air… She knew it wouldn't be long, she knew she was going to be the victim. He had changed drastically from the boy she had borrowed the black quill from.

Yes, she remembered that the quill was _black_, like his soul. Everything about him was dark and powerful. Oh, how she feared him and loved him at the same time. His face was expressionless as he raised his wand. She was peering down the end of the road. She had never known that she would fulfill her life's goal so soon….

There was a flash of green light before her eyes and all was black. She was painless as she heard his voice drifting through her mind in its last coherent thoughts. His silky tongue whispered:

"I always loved your soul…"

They were a perfect match for each other. He wanted eternal life; she ultimately wanted to die.

They both got what they wanted in the end.

**_After Notes: _**Please Review! I hope you liked it!


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